Saturday, April 28, 2018

Page 1715

((Triple Saturday -- Page 1 of 3))The reapers were being noticeably quiet all of a sudden, Hector thought. When he turned to look at them, he realized they weren’t there anymore.

Oh, right. They’d said they would keep their distance.

‘Where’d you guys go?’ thought Hector.

‘We’re about a hundred meters to your right,’ came Garovel’s private answer.

Well, at least they were keeping themselves safe. He still didn’t really like them wandering around on their own when the Undercrust was known for having ardor-fueled weaponry, but Capaporo seemed peaceful enough, he supposed. And they were probably even more wary of such things than he was.

‘Any idea what you’re gonna do?’ said Garovel.

‘Not really,’ said Hector. ‘Open to suggestions.’

‘Voreese and I recommend patience. Take your time and wait for an opening to present itself. And stay out of his line of sight.’

Not the most compelling plan but probably most reasonable, Hector figured. Certainly more so than attacking Leo in a location where one of the city’s most valuable resources would be put in jeopardy. And that wasn’t even considering what would happen if the attack failed, and Leo counterattacked. Which seemed incredibly likely.

So Hector waited. He waited, and he watched. People came and went from the gallery, often staring at him as they passed. Eventually, Hector resorted to leaning with his back to the wall. He shut his eyes and relied entirely on the Scarf for information instead of staring at Leo around the corner like an idiot.

He wasn’t sure why he’d ever been doing that in the first place. He was just accustomed to relying on his eyes for everything.

Then again, there was certainly still utility in using his eyes. He couldn’t see color with the Scarf, obviously. If he concentrated, though, he could vaguely discern the shape of Leo’s face. The guy seemed to have a pretty big nose. And a trimmed beard.

Most importantly and obviously, however, the Scarf didn’t let him see reapers. Air would simply flow right through them. Definitely still needed eyes for that.

After a while, Hector began to wonder what the hell this guy was doing here. Why was he just sitting there like that? His eyes weren’t closed, according to the Scarf, so he probably wasn’t meditating. He was just staring at the water tank.

Was he waiting for something?

Hold on a second.

...Wasn’t Sai-hee supposed to show up? Or, maybe not her, but at least someone who represented her? That had been Leo’s plan, hadn’t it? To turn the Rainlords over to her and earn her forgiveness?

But Leo didn’t HAVE the Rainlords anymore, so what the hell was his plan now?

Or...?

Hector blinked, remembering Rasalased’s words.

“A lost sheep,” the Dry God had said.

Leo was the lost sheep, clearly. Which meant...

Had Leo simply given up? Was he just waiting for Sai-hee to show up and either kill or capture him?